McCain: Life Isn't Fair

By TChris, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:12:33 AM EST
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Poor John McCain:

Asked why Obama has been rising as the Wall Street crisis has dominated attention, McCain said on Fox News Channel: "Because life isn’t fair."

What a great new campaign slogan! It's one with which most of us would agree after enduring eight years of a Republican presidency.

Despite suspending his campaign (but not really) and returning to Washington to muck up negotiations on the bailout bill and failing to deliver a majority of Republican House votes for the plan he endorsed, McCain lost ground to Obama in the polls. How terribly unfair it is that voters are noticing how lost and ineffectual McCain is, how empty his rhetoric has been since backing away from his proclamation that the fundamentals of the economy are "strong," how hypocritical he is in calling for regulation of the finance industry after championing deregulation throughout his career.

McCain has joined the ranks of the whiners. Suck it up, Senator. You only have another month until you can take a nice long nap and try to forget that the election ever happened.

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McCain: Life Isn't Fair | 40 comments (40 topical)

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supports my theory of McCain: (5.00 / 2) (#2)
by coigue on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:19:31 AM EST

that he feels entitled to the presidency.

Let me (none / 0) (#26)
by Wile ECoyote on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:40:31 PM EST

guess: Obamabot. Talk about entitled to the presidency.


: My suggestion: try not to guess (none / 0) (#32)
by coigue on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 01:18:03 PM EST

it results in a negative revelation to the world about your intelligence.

Oh, come on (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by gyrfalcon on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:24:33 AM EST

That wasn't a whine, it was a cranky dismissive bit of sarcasm in response to a question he didn't want to answer.

: Whine or not (none / 0) (#16)
by JWeidner on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:50:44 AM EST

it shows a remarkable lack of seriousness on his part. I'll admit upfront that at this point, there's nothing McCain could do that would cause me to vote for him, but really...Would anyone want a president who, as he's launching attacks against Iran or Russia in the face of massive public protests, simply gets on the TV and says "Life isn't fair"?
WOULD he actually say that? I don't know...but the fact that he doesn't have a problem doing so in interviews while running for President doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me. He's certainly not going to be a president who makes ANY effort to rally the citizenry of the United States. He'll throw red meat to his base, keep them happy, and tell the rest of us to take a long walk off a short pier.

: "cranky dismissive bit of sarcasm " (none / 0) (#36)
by coigue on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 02:31:52 PM EST

this phrase describes McCain to a tee.
With one exception, he was empathetic in his initial economy statement in the primaries.

gee (5.00 / 3) (#5)
by connecticut yankee on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:29:53 AM EST

Why won't reality leave McCain alone? It's almost as biased as Katie Couric.

Funny, when one of my kids (5.00 / 2) (#8)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:37:15 AM EST

complains bitterly, for example, that he didn't get a little treat or trinket or something that the other one did, my wife and I often say "life isn't fair" or something similar.

One of my son's kindergarten teacher taught his class the phrase "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit." They still say it at home.

These, and McCain's comment, are pretty much the polar opposite of a whine.

Puh-leeze.

my kids say that too./ (none / 0) (#14)
by coigue on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:48:30 AM EST

It's not fair (none / 0) (#18)
by Jlvngstn on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:53:45 AM EST

is a staple of childrens vocabulary, and our response is always the same, "it's not fair, but it all averages out"

I love the proceeding eyerolls....


So what you are doing is... (none / 0) (#29)
by CoralGables on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:54:24 PM EST

Comparing McCain's actions to that of a child and seeing it as okay?


: Not exactly (5.00 / 1) (#30)
by CST on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:59:34 PM EST

More like comparing him to the parents. Which was the point of that post. What I want to know is, who were the kids complaining?
Life isn't fair, but not because McCain is losing. That, my friends, is very fair.

: Purposeful obtuseness. (none / 0) (#43)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Oct 03, 2008 at 01:49:56 AM EST

Good luck with that.

whining? (5.00 / 2) (#11)
by Salo on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:47:14 AM EST

Life isn't fair is teh stock response of an adult telling a screaming kid to stop whining.

"Goodbye cruel World" is a whine.

: We the voters aren't his children though (none / 0) (#31)
by Militarytracy on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 01:10:38 PM EST

We are adults taking actions to insure we do what is best for ourselves, our country, and its society. By the time we are adults we do understand that a level and just playing field leads to a stronger, happier, and healthier society and culture. After clarifying that I would now like to invite John McCain to kiss my........

: Yup, and I've always felt ... (none / 0) (#40)
by Robot Porter on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 05:20:41 PM EST

one of the ways to look at this election was as Mr. Wilson vs. Dennis the Menace.
And in terms of presidential politics, Mr. Wilson can look like the more attractive alternative.

McCain's entitled to . . . (5.00 / 1) (#23)
by Doc Rock on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:02:44 PM EST

. . . a one-way ticket to Palookaville.

McCain has lost his touch (5.00 / 1) (#24)
by HenryFTP on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:12:26 PM EST

and it's at least questionable how much longer the corporate media will prop him up (although I think they will, if for no other reason that a closer "horse race" sells more advertising).

The question posed was a perfect opportunity for him to say that the polls reflect the public's frustration, but that ultimately he believes the American people will elect a President who is tested and experienced in times of crisis, and that he is that man.

The John McCain that we've all seen on countless sabbath gasbag shows over the past 15 years would have said something like that, but the stress of the campaign must be getting to him -- how foolish of his handlers to put him out on the road as much as they do, given that he has built his rep over time in TV studios, not out on the stump.

On the other hand, I think the Richard Vigueries of this world are quietly enjoying all this -- they're happy to see "maverick" McCain fail, and happy to dump the huge problems accumulated by Bush and Cheney in the lap of the Democrats.

Palin/McCain '08... (5.00 / 1) (#39)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 03:00:01 PM EST

...because life ain't fair. It does have a certain ring to it.

Strange thing for a POW to say! (none / 0) (#1)
by Fabian on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:17:06 AM EST

Truth is McCain has ditched his successful strategy of wooing the media and his response to the credit/banking crisis has been less than inspiring.

Horrible Response (none / 0) (#3)
by WS on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:22:02 AM EST

Life isn't fair because his Republican Party wrecked the economy and the public don't trust the Republicans (and McCain) to fix it? I think the public has it just right. McCain's not a fighter, he's a whiner.

Life isn't fair: (none / 0) (#6)
by coigue on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:31:06 AM EST

Just as McCain put his family mansion on the market, the credit crisis hit.

I believe this has been. . . (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by LarryInNYC on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:45:54 AM EST

largely debunked. The house for sale was previously owned by the McCains but the current seller is a subsequent owner.


: Oops. (none / 0) (#13)
by coigue on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:47:53 AM EST

Still, they place was tacky-rich as all get out...like Marie Antoinette had lived there. (McCain marble monograms everywhere, ick!)

What A Perfect Dickensian Rallying Cry (none / 0) (#7)
by daring grace on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:35:25 AM EST

for this replay of the 1930s we seem to be sliding into: people are losing their jobs, the value on their homes and retirement investments etc. But, hey, stuff happens, life isn't fair.

Maybe Senator McCain is offering us a glimpse into his management style that should give us pause as to his attitudes to leading the country:It's not that his campaign is being out maneuvered and out strategized by Obama's. It's something larger, indeed. Life isn't fair.

For everything from no health care, and exorbitant energy prices to the 9/11 attacks and Darfur...L(ife)I(sn't)F(air).

Politics isn't fair. (none / 0) (#15)
by Salo on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:49:03 AM EST

I'd have prefered to have had McCain in office 2001-2009 instead of Bush to be perfectly frank.

McCain couldn't have been as criminally insane as Bush proved to be.


Gore? (5.00 / 1) (#20)
by WS on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:59:06 AM EST

I would have much rather had Gore. We would have seen the Supreme Court flip and in 2008, 16 years of Democratic rule.


let's face it (none / 0) (#37)
by Salo on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 02:40:06 PM EST

The media dumped on Gore so bad he couldn't possibly have been allowed to be President.


: Yet Gore (none / 0) (#41)
by WS on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 06:26:09 PM EST

won the popular vote. Don't let the primaries get you down, the media is powerful but they have limitations too.

Today on one of the morning shows, McCain (none / 0) (#9)
by indy in sc on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:43:03 AM EST

repeated his pledge to veto any bill with "pork" or "earmarks" as president and "make them famous" and he was asked why he voted for the bailout bill yesterday since it contains those loathesome things and he said something about how important the underlying bill is to the economy and they left it there. I wish he had been asked directly whether, if he was president today, he would veto the bill he voted for yesterday.

I get his anti-pork sentiments--what I really dislike is his all or nothing "tough talk" and refusal to allow nuance into his positions. I wish the journalists he was speaking with would have called him on the fact that his zero pork presidential pledge would force him to veto the bill he lobbied for yesterday.

: Why does he say this over and over (none / 0) (#12)
by boot on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:47:20 AM EST

It's getting old. He and Palin are actually the same, he's just got a lot more practice.

: He's a hypocrite (none / 0) (#21)
by andgarden on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:59:38 AM EST

No question.

: Actually, a little confusion (none / 0) (#27)
by KeysDan on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:49:21 PM EST

emerged in his response to the question of why he voted for the bill given all his concerns--because, he said, "this bill is putting us on the brink of disaster" (Morning Joe)

It's true.... (none / 0) (#17)
by kdog on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:52:26 AM EST

life is not fair.

Though I would say the Republicans losing the White House is more than fair.

Nobody twisted McCain's arm and told him to be a Republican, he coulda been an independent, or switched to independent, at any time. It's on you Mac.

Tchris getting fiesty this morning! (none / 0) (#19)
by Faust on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:55:28 AM EST

"A Nation of Whiners" (none / 0) (#22)
by robrecht on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:02:07 PM EST

Hey, that's not fair, he stole that line (none / 0) (#25)
by BrassTacks on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 12:37:44 PM EST

From Jimmy Carter!

This post goes too far (none / 0) (#33)
by abdiel on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 01:42:13 PM EST

I don't see anything wrong with McCain's comment. The golden parachute and Wall Street problems are a GOP-killer just as terrorism and foreign policy are Democrat-killers. The news has been dominated by financial trouble and that (not McCain's failure to lead or "mucking up" negotiations) has been ruining his campaign.

Democrats have hardly been "sucking it up" when the GOP rattled the saber or talked culture wars to scare votes for themselves.

I was also offended by your snide ageist comment. You would not "suck it up" if a conservative made an equally snide comment about Obama.

: Of course (none / 0) (#35)
by jondee on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 01:46:57 PM EST

if it WAS fair, we'd have deregulation and bailouts and govt contracts and regime change forever and ever and ever. Or, at least until the Rapture starts (speaking of existential threats).

gee, how would sen. mccain (none / 0) (#34)
by cpinva on Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 01:46:52 PM EST

know anything about life not being fair, since his, for the most part, has been overly so? this, remember, is a guy who never should have gotten into the naval academy, never should have been a pilot and, by all accounts, has been basically a pr*ck his entire life.

he got all this stuff because of dad and grandpa, not due to his own merits. that, my friends, is life not being fair!